Various three-dimensional decorative objects have been created from sheet material. Such objects have included artificial trees, Christmas tree ornaments, and other devices.
The artificial trees are generally comprised of a circular sheet of material that is spirally cut and vertically deformed to create a helical structure that bears some resemblance to a conically-shaped tree. Examples of this type of structure are described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,048,590 and 5,336,536.
A variation of the basic conical helix tree is described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,139,168, which discloses bridges that maintain a predetermined spacing between portions of the helical strip forming the tree. While each of the artificial trees described in these patents could conceivably be mounted for rotation, they are not adapted for rotational mounting and would not likely be expected to provide an interesting visual effect if they were rotated.
Other somewhat more elaborate structures constructed from flat sheet material are described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,200,656 B1 (Tsang) and U.S. Pat. No. 4,746,022 (Benham). The Tsang patent describes an artificial tree having a central disc-shaped member, a plurality of vertically spaced apart annular rings connected to the central disc-shaped member, and a plurality of connecting strips that connect each of the vertically spaced apart annular rings to an adjacent annular ring. The Benham patent describes a three-dimensional support structure that may be either free standing or adapted to be hung from an overhead support. The structure includes a plurality of radially spaced concentric rings, and elongated flexible connectors that join the concentric rings in axially displaced relationship to form a conically shaped framework.
Neither the structure of the Tsang patent nor the structure of the Benham patent are adapted to be mounted for rotational movement. As with the previously described artificial trees generally defined by a helical strip, the structures of Tsang and Benham would not be expected to provide an interesting visual effect if rotated. In particular, the elevational view of these structures is very similar from all sides, with the result being that rotation of these structures would not be expected to provide a changing perspective capable of generating an interesting visual effect.
A suspendable Christmas trees ornament is described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,042,903. The ornament is fabricated from sheet material by cutting parallel slits in the sheet material to form a plurality of narrow adjacent strips. The cut sheet material is wound around a core comprising an inner cylindrical member telescopingly mounted within a through hole of an outer cylindrical member. After the sheet material is secured along its edges to the core, the core is shortened to change the shape of the sheet material from a tubular configuration to a globular configuration. The ornament is not adapted for rotation, and would not be expected to provide a changing perspective that generates an interesting visual effect if the ornament were rotated.
Other ornamental novelty and display devices made from sheet material are shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 1,162,230; 2,395,578 and 5,130,169. None of these devices are adapted for rotation, and would not be expected to provide a changing perspective that could generate an interesting visual effect if the devices were rotated.